Eyes Wide Open
by Darkness Takes Over
Summary: He would have done anything to keep awake, to keep away from the boogie-man that was Freddy Krueger. In one last act of desperation he made absolutely sure that he would keep his eyes wide open. :One shot: Before NOES3 Dream Warriors. Please review!


**Disclaimer**: I do not own Nightmare on Elm Street or Freddy Krueger. They belong to Wes Craven and New Line Cinema.

**Title**: Eyes Wide Open

**Genre: **Horror/Supernatural

**Rating:** M

**Summary:** He would have done anything to keep awake, to keep away from the boogie-man that was Freddy Krueger. In one last act of desperation he made absolutely sure that he would keep his eyes wide open.

**Author's Note: **Set before NOES3 Dream Warriors. This is basically set around the patient who Dr Gordon mentioned to Nancy at the beginning of the film. For this one shot the patient instead of using a razor blade, he used a scalpel. Please read and review. :)

**Eyes Wide Open**

It had been over a month since 15 year old Stephen Hammond was admitted to this god forsaken place that was Westin Hills. It was nearly five months since he began to have dreams of that man, that monster Freddy. His first nightmare was on his 15th birthday of all fucking days. His nightmares since that night started more or less the same. Being lured to that old decrepit house on Elm Street. Those three little girls dressed in their Sunday best would be playing outside on the withered lawn, their soulless eyes starting at him as he passed them. Their lips moving in slow motion as they hauntingly sang that song. The jump rope song, as if warning him what was to come. Not that he needed reminding.

It was the same every time had slipped into a deep slumber. That horribly scarred man, with that hoarse, dark, gritty voice mocking him, laughing maniacally. Those blue piercing eyes would always look at him like he was some kind of prey and he was the predator, reading to pounce on him at any fucking second after he finished his sadistic game of hide and seek. Those dark passageways always seemed to close in on him as he wandered down them, his bare feet were always saturated with sweat, along with the rest of his body. It was always so hot. The noise was unbearable, with the metallic rumblings of the furnaces and boilers as they roared to life.

But the sound that made his hair stand on end, was the screeching sound that Freddy made with his steel claw. It resonated from every direction. You just didn't know where he was, if he was about to pounce out at you from behind, to the side or either from the passageway before you. His nightmares were so unpredictable, so frightening and out of control. Just like his nerves were out of control over the last few months.

He was always so composed and calm. But ever since he started to dream of that guy, of Freddy, his composure began to crumble until he began a nervous wreck! He would always jump at any sudden sound or movement. Believing that Freddy was going to appear,even though he was wide awake. Over and over again he would ask himself, why? Why was he having dreams of this creep? Why did he want to kill him? What did he do to make this Freddy guy want to kill him? He wasn't a bad teenager, he was doing well in school. Never got into trouble and had never once been in a confrontation with anyone, or hurt anyone in any shape or form. Why was this happening to him?

When he tried to discuss his dreams with is parents they would quickly brush it to the side. Once when he described Freddy in his dream, he could see the look of _fear_ crossing his parents face. They knew _something_. Just why couldn't they tell him? All they did was scold him, saying not to mention his dreams ever again. Like it wasn't happening. Well, it was and they were ignoring the problem. This guy was after him and wanted him dead, to see his body burning in the furnace just like his other children. Well, that is what Freddy had callously told him one night in his dreams. He had seen the body of a boy from across his street in the flamed filled furnace, he was just fifteen, just like him. Supposedly, his throat was slit, he had committed suicide. Stephen knew that Freddy had done it, he had other kids to go after too.

When he was admitted to this shit-hole a month back after his so called failed attempt to take his own life, he had found out that there was quite a few people this Freddy was after. At first he hardly talked to any of them, but sometimes during the night he would hear them screaming as they woke from their nightmare. The next morning he would catch glances of their bruises and scratches from their dreams. All of them had the same dilemma, but those fucking doctors wouldn't listen. They thought they knew everything and would smugly say that therapy would help them get better.

What a crock of_ shit! _

They would continually pump them full of drug - both anti-psychotic and anti-depressants, hoping that it would reduce their urge to hurt themselves or kill themselves. But they were too foolish to see that it was Freddy, that their dreams were endangering their lives. They just couldn't sleep, it was too dangerous!

Stephen groaned out loud and stood from his bed, pushing his pile of sports magazines to the side. It was just past mid-night and the whole ward was eerily quiet. Like something bad was going to happen. But he had to be strong, to withstand the temptation of falling asleep. It was nearly his fourth night of staying awake and well, it was taking his toll on him. His mind to be exact. The longer he stayed without sleep the more he would see and hear things. Like glimpses of that dirty red and green sweater in the mirror or in the reflection of a window. The sound of that jump rope song or the faint screech of metal upon metal. Sometimes he would even hear the faint crazed laughter of that monster, mocking him, calling out his name. As if his presence was just waiting for him to rest his eyes just for a few little seconds. That is what all it took for him to fall sleep. Seconds.

Shaking his head lightly, he ran his shaking hands through his golden brown hair. His green eyes blinked furiously and he then slapped his face, trying to make himself alert. "C'mon man, keep awake. Just until the morning then we can get coffee. Lots of strong coffee" he reassured himself.

He knew that there had to be another way of keeping his eyes open rather than sitting up reading magazines, listening to his portable radio or sneaking into Philip and Kincaid's room during the night, while drinking countless cans of coke, diet coke and other caffeine related sodas. But that was of course foiled when Max found them talking last week. Now, any one found in each other's room during the night would be confined to the _'quiet room'_ and well no one wanted that. Of course he knew about Jennifer's way of keeping awake, the burn marks on her arms were evidence of it. But could he really bring himself to hurt him, burn his arms with the cigarettes just to keep awake? No, he probably couldn't. There had to another way. If only he had a room mate to help each other stay awake at night. But he was left on his fucking own. Trying to fend for himself during the night.

Even if he stood at the window during the night there was always the fear of falling sleep, due to being diagnosed with narcolepsy after he was admitted to the hospital. The chances of him falling asleep was always high. He raised his stiff arms above his head and stretched them upwards, yawning loudly. God, he was so tried. Every bone and muscle in his body ached with exhaustion.

A sudden uneasiness swept over him as a movement from the corner of his room caught his eye. He squinted in the dimly lit room at the far right of the room, his eyes widening as a figure step forward with a steel claw being brandished threateningly at his direction.

Stephen yelped and backed away toward the barred window. There was no fucking way he was asleep, he would always feel the nausea, the feeling of light-headedness before he collapsed into his slumber. He wasn't dreaming! "No" he hissed, "I'm awake, I'm awake!"

He heard Freddy's cruel snigger as he remarked, "But for how long, piggie?"

"Leave me alone" he cried and lowered his head, wanting this little hallucination to just go away.

"You can't stay awake forever, Stephen. Remember, Freddy will be waiting for you" the dream demon leered venomously and closed the gap.

Stephen let out a fearful shriek and jerked to the side, lifting his gaze to see...nothing. It was over. But for some peculiar reason Freddy's laughter's lingered on. Making his skin break out into goosebumps.

"Got to keep awake, got to find a way" he mumbled quietly and scampered out of his room, panic etched across his pale face as he stormed down the hallway.

He was just near the end of the corridor when he heard a child's soft giggle from behind him. Jumping with trepidation he spun around, to see three young girls dressed in pristine white dresses. Their faces were horribly scarred from either burn marks or deep lacerations. One of them with brown curls, placed a single finger to her lips and silenced him, "Ssh, Freddy's coming..." she then coolly pointed her finger at him, "for you"

Each of the three girls brought their right index fingers to their throats and dragged it across their flesh, mysteriously leaving a thin red line of blood behind that opened wider after a few seconds with their crimson liquid gushing out of their wounds as they giggled creepily.

This set him off as he spun back down the corridor, heading toward the treatment room. There had to be something in there that would be able to keep him awake. That little girl was right, Freddy was going to get him next. But he knew that he couldn't let that happen, no fucking way!

He peeked his head around the corner, seeing Max, Lorenzo and nurse Annie at the desk talking quietly. His eyes darted across towards the treatment room and with another quick glance towards Max and the others he scooted across the hallway and to his surprise the door was opened. It seemed the ward wasn't as secure as the senior staff believed.

Twisting the door handle he slowly slipped inside, flicking on the switch and closed the door behind him. He then began to scour through the lower cabinets, pulling out boxes upon boxes of various tablets and bottled medicine such as sedatives, pain killers, antibiotics, anti-depressants, blood pressure tablets...etc. But there wasn't anything there to aid him in keeping awake.

He kicked the boxes to the side and then started to rummaged through the upper cabinets, only to find unused needles, surgical gloves, gas masks, breathing apparatus among others things. Just when he was about to lose his patience he saw them. A small plastic bag of scalpels.

Clutching the plastic bag he ripped it apart and withdrew a clean, shiny metal scalpel and raised it shakily to his right eye that was now clamped shut. It was this or nothing. Freddy wasn't going to get him. "Not again, never again" he murmured determinedly. Tipping the point of the scalpel into the skin at the ridge of his nose, beside his eye lid, he bit his lip and delicately began to drag the scalpel along the top of his eye lid. His short hisses of pain turned into a torturous scream.

From the nurses station Max, Lorenzo and Annie gave each other bewildered glances at the sound of the scream. "What the fuck?" Max grumbled out loud.

He began to jog down the hallway towards the treatment room where the scream came from, followed by Lorenzo and Annie. From inside the room they could hear the sound of soft sobbing and incoherent words being muttered.

There was hushed frightened voices from the main patient corridor making Max turn to see Kincaid, Philip and the others rushing forward, having heard the scream too. "Something is wrong!" Kincaid declared grimly, "Stephen isn't in his room"

"Look" Max began, "Just go back to your rooms" he knew that Stephen was inside the treatment room. He didn't' want the others to see him whatever state he was in.

It seemed his orders fell on deaf ears as Kincaid and the others stood their ground, "No, we want to help" Kincaid stated and crossed his arms.

"Okay, but stay back" Max demanded. He inched towards the door, knowing all their eyes were on him as he opened the door, "Stephen, are you in here?"

"Got to keep awake!" Stephen called out, his voice wrecked with sobs, "Keep my eyes open, keep them open!"

Max flung the door open, the sight before them making them all gasp in dread. Stephen was on his hands and knees, shaking violently. In his right hand was the bloodied scalpel, while blood dripped heavily from his face. Slowly, he lifted his quivering face upwards, showing that he had viciously and horrifically cut both his eye lids off. Revealing the white of his eyes. Taryn and Jennifer squealed in dismay and backed away, while the male teenagers felt sick to the stomach, stunned at what he had done.

The traumatised boy looked at them, crying out. "Got to stay awake. I can't let him get me. I can't sleep!"

Max knelt beside him and pried the scalpel out of his hand. He glimpsed at the two pieces of flesh that were Stephen's eye lids and swallowed the vomit that was forming in his throat. Taking both of the young boy's arms he dragged him over to a small bed, placing him on his back. "Annie, get them back to their rooms. Then get Dr Sims and Dr Gordon down here right now!"

Annie nodded silently and pushed the others out of the room, her voice shaking as she ordered them back to their rooms. Lorenzo helped to attend to Stephen as Max placed a clean white cloth over his eyes. "Ssh, relax. You'll be okay Stephen"

He mouthed over to Lorenzo to get a sedative ready for the boy, which he quietly did. "Listen, we're going to give you something to help you relax"

"No!" the boy screamed and tried to sit up on the bed, the bloodied cloth falling off of his eyes as he did so. But Max strongly pushed him back down, "I can't sleep. I have to keep my eyes open. Don't you fucking see that's why I did this!"

"Please. It is for your own benefit. It will only be for a few hours. I promise"

He whimpered as he saw Lorenzo approach him with a syringe filled with clear liquid. "No, please!"

Max sighed and held him down with his two hands, nodding to Lorenzo as he pushed the tip of the needle into the vein on the back of his right hand, "Once you wake up everything will be fine"

Stephen tried to shake his head in discord as he the sedative began to take it's hold. Nothing would be fine ever again. This would be his last time in the waking world. The last time he would ever sleep. Freddy was waiting for him...


End file.
